Fundraising campaign raises 1 million euros for baby in need of heart transplant

ISTANBUL

A fundraising campaign in Turkey has raised 1,099,000 euros for a 10-month-old baby in less than one day for him to undergo a heart transplant surgery in Germany.

Thousands of people, including many famous names, took part in the campaign that was widely shared on social media. 

The baby’s mother, Ahu Kahraman, on July 4 said on her Instagram account that the necessary funds for Kartal’s surgery were raised. “We don’t know how to thank you enough for being Kartal’s heart, blood, and breath only in 19 hours. All of the cost of the treatment that is waiting for us in the first stage has been collected. A long path is in front of us, but we saw last night that there is a whole country that will not leave us alone and let us fall on this path,” she said. 

One of those who helped with the fundraising event was the Turkish comedian and film actor Şahan Gökbakar. The comedian shared a bank receipt in the amount of 20,000 Turkish Liras on his social media account to show how much he donated and encourage others to participate in the campaign. 

The ten-month-old baby, Kartal, is currently in intensive care and needs an immediate heart transplant surgery. But in Turkey heart transplant surgeries are not conducted on babies as young as Kartal, so the toddler had only one choice left, to go to Germany, where one hospital accepted to undertake the surgery.

Up until now, the Kahraman family reportedly met many costs on their own, but needed an extra 1,099,000 euros for the surgery in Germany. They then turned to social media for a fundraising campaign, with thousands donating money in a short time. Even popular online forums Ekşisözlük and Uludağsözlük called for aid for Kartal.

The singer İrem Demirci also took part in the campaign. “All hands on deck!!! What is left of us if we do not give a life? One day you will also become mothers and fathers; come on dears, let’s share, let us give a life, please!” she said on one of her social media accounts. 

Famous sports clubs Beşiktaş and Galatasaray have also called on their fans to help Kartal, sharing a hashtag for the donation on their social media accounts along with the message “We can do it.”